Saturday, June 30, 2012

Neither Psychologist Julie West nor Pastor James Burton fancies themselves detectives—amateur or otherwise—until one after another of their mutual acquaintances are found murdered! Written by by Cecil Murphey:

Everybody Loved Roger Harden

Psychologist Julie West and Pastor James Burton always seem to find themselves at the wrong place and the wrong time-together. They first meet at a dinner party on Palm Island, off the Georgia coast, at the home of a wealthy philanthropist. Both West and Burton thought Everybody Loved Roger Harden. Until they discover he's been murdered...* Buy for Kindle* Buy for Nook* Buy from Smashwords

Everybody Wanted Room 623

Just as romance develops between the unlikely head-versus-heart duo, the body of a second mutual acquaintance is found, murdered, on the floor of room 623 in the prestigious Cartledge Inn. Would Everybody Want Room 623 if they knew a murder had just occurred there?
* Buy for Kindle* Buy for Nook* Buy from Smashwords

Everybody Called Her a Saint

Then, while on an Antarctic cruise, the warmth of romance turns to ice against the undertow of Burton's deep, dark secrets. Can these Georgia residents-turned-amateur-sleuths set their chilly feelings aside long enough to solve yet another murder of a beloved mutual friend whom Everybody Called a Saint?
* Buy for Kindle* Buy for Nook* Buy from Smashwords

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

An assortment of crime writers and collaborators share their thoughts on the legacy of the late Donald Westlake (1933-2008), who pulled off the nifty trick of writing crime fiction that was funny (Dortmunder series) and crime fiction that was dark (Parker series, under the pen name Richard Stark)—and being great at all of it.

"They're a university course in how to write a well-plotted, fast-moving novel," notes Otto Penzler, publisher for Mysterious Press, which has been reissuing Westlake's classic Dormunder crime comedies to eBook.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Erudite amateur sleuth Philo Vance, created by mystery writer S. S. Van Dine, originally appeared in twelve novels published in the 1920s and 1930s. In his heyday, the metropolitan detective was also portrayed in films (by William Powell and Basil Rathbone, among others) and on the radio. In fact there were three different Philo Vance radio drama series—"The Poetic Murder Case" comes from the third series (1948-50), which starred Jackson Beck as the title detective, and Joan Alexander as his girl Friday, Ellen Deering.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Tonight, several of the authors from Spyglass Lane Mysteries are holding a party on Twitter: "Spyglass Lane Mysteries for those who love detective work from the safety of their armchair. We’re the authors behind a great line-up of cozy mysteries that we’d like to share with you tonight! There are tons of fun prizes being given away. Join us for great conversation and loads of giveaways." #SpyglassMysteries

Monday, June 04, 2012

I recently discovered a batch of old time radio dramas on YouTube—which means I can embed them in the blog here for your listening pleasure. One of the premier drama series of the Golden Age of Radio, CBS Radio's Suspense was broadcast from 1942-1962. The pilot episode, created June 1940, was directed by Alfred Hitchcock—who adapted Marie Belloc Lowndes' novel The Lodger, a story the director had filmed in 1926. Here is the radio drama version, in three parts:

Suspense: The Lodger Part One

Suspense: The Lodger Part Two

Suspense: The Lodger Part Three

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Die Laughing: Funny Crime and Mystery Fiction

SHE'S THE SHERIFF!

A woman with a complicated past returns home to become the small town's new sheriff. Best Mann For The Job is by the writer/artist team of Chris and Erica Well. Read it from the beginning at StudioWell.com. Watch the trailer on YouTube.

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The Thrill of it All

YOU NEVER HAD MONEY TROUBLE LIKE THIS

Too Good to be Truman
He's got to
figure out who stuck him with this halo if he doesn't want to get fitted
with prison stripes—or a harp and wings...
A crime comedy for fans of Fletch
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About Me

I'm a novelist and media editor. My latest fiction includes the crime comedy Too Good to be Truman and the traditional whodunit trilogy The Earl Walker Mysteries: Nursing a Grudge, Burying the Hatchet and Knocking 'Em Dead (Spyglass Lane Mysteries).